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But then ever since she left Montana, her life had been nothing but one shock after another, she told herself, so really...what was one more?
Leaving Jake had been harder than she would have thought. That last morning on the ranch, he’d kept his distance until it was time for her to leave. Then, he’d waved her off with a casual air—no kiss, no hint of regret to see her go—as if what they’d shared had meant nothing to him, and the pain of that memory traveled with her. And still, when she was first home in Boston, Cass had actually expected Jake to call her. To admit that he missed her. Naturally, he didn’t. Stubborn man.
Then, two months after returning to Boston, Cass discovered that condoms weren’t foolproof. She smiled at the memory of her shock and the thin thread of panic that had shot through her. Despite all of that, though, she had been thrilled to find out she was carrying Jake’s baby. She’d always wanted a family of her own, and knowing that she would always have a piece of Jake with her had made missing him a little easier.
But the pregnancy had also meant she had to quit her job, because she couldn’t continue working with Elise and not tell her about the baby—her grandchild.
Just as Cass couldn’t tell Jake. Oh, her conscience had driven her nuts for weeks over that decision, but in the end, Cass knew it was for the best. Jake wanted to be alone and it was hard to be alone with a newborn in the house. And keeping her pregnancy from Elise wasn’t easy, but if the woman knew the truth, she would tell her son and then...oh, it was a vicious circle. So in the end, Cass had kept her secrets, given up her job and built a life for herself and her child.
Sure it was scary, being a single mother, but it was worth it. Her son was her world and until today, she would have said that everything was going great.
Of course, that was before her brother and sister had shown themselves to be traitors.
Panic nibbled at her insides and every breath was a victory because it had made it past the knot lodged in her throat. Her heartbeat was loud and heavy in her ears and chills raced along her spine as she tried to come to grips with the worst-case scenario playing out in front of her eyes.
“I still can’t believe you did this.”
Cass needed to move. To get up and walk. Maybe run. Problem was, there was nowhere to go. It was early December in Boston and even here, the snow was deep enough to make going for a walk less than pleasant.
So she settled for jumping up from the chair by her front window and stalking the three short steps to the opposite wall and back again. Pacing was less than helpful when the confines were so small.
Ordinarily she had no problem with her tiny one-bedroom apartment. But today, with her family gathered, she could feel those walls shrinking. While she stalked angrily, she sent Claudia another hard glare. “You had no right.” Swinging her gaze to her brother, she added, “Either of you.”
Claudia was unbowed and unrepentant. Her long blond hair was done in a single braid with strands of plastic holly berries woven through it. She wore a green and red sweater that read Santa Knows How to Deliver and her dark blue jeans were tucked into knee-high black boots. “Somebody had to,” she said. “Dave and I talked about it and we decided—”
Cass turned her furious gaze on her younger brother. Dave’s blond hair was cut short and he kept stabbing his fingers through it as if remembering when he was a teenager and wore it to his shoulders. His brown leather jacket was worn, his jeans and steel-toed work boots looked battered, and his features clearly said he wished he were anywhere but there.
“How do you two get to make a decision about me?”
He growled a little, shot a hard look at their youngest sister and then looked back to Cass. He followed her as she moved back to her chair and dropped into it.
“We all talked about it. Me, Emma and Claud, and we agreed this was the best way to handle it.”
If she were any more furious Cassidy figured the top of her head might blow off and shoot right through the ceiling and the roof.
“You and your wife and our sister decided the best way to handle me? Since when have I needed to be ‘handled’?”
“Since you started acting as stubborn as a sack of rocks,” Claudia told her.
Another wave of rage swept through her and Cass had to fight to drag air into her lungs. “You had no right. Any of you. This is my life.”
“Yeah, it is,” Dave said and dropped to his haunches beside her. Looking up into her eyes, he said, “You spent a lot of years working to take care of me and Claud. We don’t think it’s fair that you have to do this by yourself. And more than not fair, Cass,” Dave added quietly, his gaze locked with hers, “it’s not right. He deserves to know.”
